


And We Might Fall, But That's Okay... As Long as Promises Can Speak

by hoard_of_stars



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A little angst, Allura & Lance (Voltron) are Cousins, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Aromantic Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, BAMF Krolia (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bonding Moments, Boys In Love, Coran is Allura (Voltron)'s Uncle, Dorks in Love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Keith/Lance (Voltron), Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Mush, Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Human Krolia (Voltron), Human Shay (Voltron), Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Hunk (Voltron) is a Ray of Sunshine, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Idiots in Love, Inspired by Fanart, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, Matt Holt is a Good Sibling, Minor Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Multi, Pansexual Hunk (Voltron), Pining Hunk (Voltron), Protective Allura (Voltron), Samoan Hunk (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) is So Done, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), Teenage Dorks, Uncle Coran (Voltron), also why is he so damn small, and look!! there's hunay (the ship name for hunk and shay idek), but its good for the soul, distantly related but still cousins, everyone's in denial, except hunk and pidge they're chillin, he doesn't even question it, help her son hates her, i promise james/keith is temporary, keith is a competetive lil shit, pidge is a badass, she wants him to understand and he wont
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 07:32:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17977046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoard_of_stars/pseuds/hoard_of_stars
Summary: Keith was seven years old when a U-Haul truck pulled up outside the house next to theirs. He didn't understand why Shiro wanted to go next door to say hello, but he took his stuffed hippo and tagged along anyway.Keith was seven years old when he couldn't understand for the life of him why the boy with brown hair and blue eyes and a stuffed shark wouldn't stop teasing him. He just wanted to be friends, why was this boy being mean?Keith was seven years old when he challenged the boy to climbing the tree that was smack in the middle of both their yards. He thought that would make the boy stop teasing him, that it would show him he was just as good as him.Keith was seven years old when he made his first real rival... and his first best friend.





	1. Chapter 1

Hey!! Sooo uh this is the fanart the story is inspired off of and I swear to god it is the cutest thing so... yeah! The real story starts in the next chapter. Credit to Masterdipster on tumblr for the art. 

[Here's the original link to the tumblr](http://masterdipster.tumblr.com/post/168496529154/looks-like-keith-forgot-that-little-bonding-moment)

 

Note: fuck that iFunny watermark those little bitches are slapping their fuckin watermark on everything I bet you don't even know what this is a fanart of iFunny are fucking cowards. iFunny I know you're out there somewhere slapping your watermark on shit that isn't yours I will find you and fucking fight you go step on a Lego you pieces of shit


	2. Chapter 2

I was sitting on the porch with my hippo when I heard a rumbling noise. I looked up and there was a big truck with the word U-Haul on it in bright green. It parked in front of the house next to us, and a few seconds later, a car pulled up behind it. It was shiny and white with blue headlights. It was weird, but cool.

The backseat door opened and so did the driver's, and three people stepped out, looking at the house next to our's tiredly. There was a girl with skin the colour of hot chocolate and pretty dark brown hair, a man with ginger hair and a mustache, and a boy who seemed about my age with brown hair and blue eyes. He was holding a shark plushie, kind of like my hippo.

I straightened up, focusing on them. I wondered if the boy would go to my school. The kids at school teased me last year for not having a mom and having a dead dad, so I would beat them up, especially James, who basically lived to torment me. When Takashi's family adopted me, I thought things would be better. They weren't. Maybe this boy would be nicer, I thought hopefully.

Maybe he would want to be my friend.

The door of our house opened and Takashi stepped out, holding two glasses of lemonade. He handed one to me, also watching the people who were heading to the house next to ours.

"They must be moving in," he finally said. "We should go introduce ourselves."

My brow furrowed. Why was he staring at the girl? And... were his cheeks pink? "But why, Takashi?" 

He laughed, not taking his eyes off the girl. "It's only polite, Keith."

"Oh." I was quiet for a moment, and then I asked, "Why are you staring at that girl, Takashi?"

"Wha-" He looked at me, eyes wide and cheeks even pinker than before. "I am  _not_ staring."

"Yeah, you were!" I said accusingly. The pieces suddenly seemed to click as I put two and two together. "Oooh, you like her!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yeah you do!" I jumped up and down, hugging my hippopotamus. "Takashi and that girl, sitting in a tree-"

" _Keith-_ "

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"If you don't stop right now I'm going to tell Mom and Dad who flooded the bathroom."

I gasped a little, looking up at him. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, I  _so_ would," he grinned mischievously.

"Fine... but do I have to go?"

"Well, Keith, they have a boy about your age. He seems nice enough."

"I saw. Do you..." I hesitated a little. "Do you think he'd like me?"

"Keith." Takashi sounded completely serious. "Anyone who doesn't isn't worth your time."

Then he turned and called into the house, "Mom! There are people moving in next door and there's a boy Keith's age and a girl around my age! Can we go talk to them?"

Silence. And then, "As long as you're careful, Takashi. Be safe, both of you."

Takashi smiled at me and took my hand, practically dragging me to the fence separating the property. The girl and the boy were standing a few feet away from their side of the fence, and the ginger man was talking animatedly to one of the truck drivers. He rapped on the fence with his knuckles, and the kids turned around.

"Hey there," he smiled at them. "I'm Takashi- or Shiro, if you prefer- and this is my brother Keith. We live... well, here. Are you guys the new neighbors?"

The girl and boy exchanged glances, and then he came running up to the fence.

"The name's Lance," he said, grinning widely, arms crossed over his chest.

The girl came up behind him, and in an almost exasperated tone, said, "I'm Allura. This is my brother, whose name you already know, I guess. And I suppose we are the new neighbors. We moved here with our Uncle Coran." She pointed over her shoulder to the ginger man, who was making his way over to Allura and Lance.

"So, kiddos, we've got most of our boxes inside the house already and the furniture's been inside for a while now. I'm going to start unpacking, you two up for helping? You know, back in my day, Pop Pop Wimbleton and I would-" He stopped, suddenly noticing Takashi and I standing there. "Oh, you two are making friends? Coran Hieronymous Wimbleton Smythe, at your service." He held out his end and Takashi grasped it, firmly shaking. 

"Takashi Shirogane," he said once more. "And this is-"

"I'm Keith Kogane," I said loudly. "I'm his brother."

Allura's brow wrinkled a little, but she seemed to shrug it off. 

"A pleasure to meet both of you fine young men. Well, I'm off to start the unpacking. I'll be inside if you need anything!"And with that, he walked off to the house. 

"So..." Takashi said after a few minutes. "What do you want to do?"

"Well... we could play a game, maybe?" 

"What kind of game?" 

"My uncle has this game from when he was a kid, it's called  _Monsters and Mana_. I don't know if you'd be interested in playing, but-"

"It sounds interesting. How do you play it?"

"Well, you have a hologram sort of thing, and a board, and you create a character. And then..."

The rest of their conversation was very boring, though Takashi seemed pretty interested. Lance made a gagging sound. " _Monsters and Mana_ is boring, 'Lura! Only Uncle Coran plays that game."

"Well, Lance, maybe when you're older you'll find it more enjoyable. Shiro and I can play  _Monsters and Mana_ while you and Keith can get to know each other, how does that sound?"

He considered it, and I hoped he wouldn't say no. "Sure," he relented after a moment. "Anything's better than playing Uncle Coran's weird game."

"Well then, we'll leave you to it. If you two want to, you can come into our yard."

"Sure. Hold on." Takashi sank down on his knees and started feeling around the fence for that one loose board that could be moved to the side to reveal a secret passageway.  After a moment he found it, and with an _a-ha_! I shimmied under while he hopped the fence. 

"Our uncle has a spare pack on hand, most likely. I can ask him where for it and we can begin our game." She smiled at Takashi and sprinted off towards their funny blue and white car, where their uncle had returned to get something, gesturing for Takashi to follow. Of course, he listened, leaving me alone with Lance. 

How was I supposed to start this conversation with Lance? Should I ask him how old he is? Compliment his shark plushie? 

"So-" 

"What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" I blurted, sweating profusely.  _Good job, Keith._

"Aw, that's easy," Lance said. "I'm a vanilla boy through and through."

I wrinkled my nose at him. "Vanilla? I'm sorry, have you ever  _heard_ of mint chocolate chip?"

Lance looked like I'd insulted his uncle. "Only in my worst nightmares,  _mullet_." 

"Mullet?"

"Yeah... you know, like your hair," he said like it was obvious. "It's weird."

Before I could open my mouth to respond, he glanced down at my toy. "Is that a hippo?"

"What's it to you if it is?" I asked suspiciously, holding it closer.

"Why a hippo? I mean, out of anything, you chose a hippo?"

"Says the kid holding a stuffed shark," I snapped back, my hopes of becoming friends with this kid rapidly diminishing.

"Okay, I get that, but why a  _hippo_?"

"It was..." I hesitated, wanting to shrink into my jacket. "It was a gift from someone. I got it a long time ago."

"You must have not wanted to hurt their feelings if you kept it that long. It's cute though, you know- in an ugly way. It's so ugly it's cute," Captain Not-So-Obvious noted.

"You don't know anything." I balled my fists. Why was he being so rude? 

"I know a lot of stuff!" He sounded insulted. "I know how to swim. I used to swim back in Cuba where the water is the bluest blue you'll ever find. I know how to make my bed neatly. I can cook eggs, if Allura watches. I can-"

"I bet you don't know how to do anything  _important_ ," I huffed at him.

"You wanna bet?" Lance set his shark plushie on the ground, squaring up for battle. 

"I want to bet that you couldn't climb that tree half as fast as me," I smirked triumphantly.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Fine, then." Lance raced over to the tree that was smack in the middle of both of our yards. "If I win, then..."

"Then I admit you're better. If I win, you have to admit that I'm better." I walked over to the fence and set my hippo down against it. I placed my hands on the trunk and quickly went into starting position.

"Deal." Lance did the same, though I noticed he wasn't as sure of his footing or hand placements. This was going to be  _so_ easy. Maybe after I showed him I wasn't weird and that I was just as good as him he would want to be my friend. 

"3, 2, 1... start!" He counted us off and I scampered up the tree, sure of my movements. I had climbed this tree for the better part of the summer. 

"How's the weather down there?" I called over my shoulder. 

"It's about to get a whole lot colder for you!" he yelled back, putting back a burst of speed. 

We were about halfway up the tall tree now, neck and neck. The branches were not as sparse now, but there was one I knew to avoid because even though it looked sturdy, it was practically dead. I swiftly dodged it. I spared Lance a glance ( **A/N I nearly had a stroke writing that I'm sorry** ) and realized what was going to happen before he did. 

How was he supposed ot know that that branch was dead? That it would shatter under any sort of pressure whatsoever. I tried to warn him, but my voice caught in my throat. I coughed and hacked, trying to clear it, momentarily slowing.

"Keith?" Lance wavered, looking worried. "Are you okay?" His hand was reaching for the dead branch to steady his hold on the tree. 

" _NO_! Don't grab that-" I tried to say, but my words were cut off by a vicious sound.

_SNAP._

I screeched as the branch broke and Lance tumbled to the ground. I scrambled down as quickly as I could, trying not to cry. Would his bones be broken? Was he dead? He probably hated me now! Tears sprang to my eyes at the thought.

"Lance! Lance! Are you alright?" I jumped off the rest of the way, tucking and rolling to absorb the shock. I grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. 

"Ow..." Lance sniffled, looking down at his knee. The whole thing was a bloody, scratched up mess. Blood was trickling down his leg in streams. He wiped his nose with the back of his arm, looking up at me. "I'm- I'm fine." He tried standing up but his legs shook and he fell down again with a pained grunt. I could see his chin trembling. I could hear Allura and Takashi's concerned voices in the background. They had no doubt heard the branch snap and Lance falling.  

I didn't care if they were already sprinting across the yard. Lance was hurt and it was my fault. They needed to get here  _faster_. "ALLURA, MR CORAN!" I screamed, trying to staunch the bleeding on Lance's knee. There was a lot of blood. " _TAKASHI_!"

"Lance, Keith, what happened?" Takashi had broken out in a full out dash. He reached our side in a few seconds, Allura following not long after. "Why is his knee bleeding and-" His eyes trailed oer the branch that was half-leaning on the fence. Like it wasn't the cause of all this mess.

I gulped a little. No, it wasn't the branch's fault. It was mine.

Allura's eyes narrowed. "Alright, Shiro, I need you to go inside and get some tissues. Ask my uncle, if he asks why, tell him one of the kids scraped a knee. Don't elaborate. Soak them in warm water. I'll run to the car and get the first aid kit that we keep in the glove box. And Keith, you stay with Lance. Keep him company. We'll only be gone a minute or two, tops."

Takashi nodded and took off for the house. Allura went the opposite direction, to the car. And I stayed there, kneeling on the grass, with Lance.

He pulled himself up into a sitting position, back against the tree, not looking at me.

"I'm sor-" I started to say, but Lance cut me off.

"Can- can you give me my shark?" he asked shakily.

I blinked, then nodded. I grabbed the shark, which was lying on its side a couple of feet away from the tree. It was kind of smushed, so I brushed it off properly, fluffed it, and handed it to him.

"Thanks." He nestled it in his arms and let his chin rest on the head of the shark.

I nodded and crawled over to the fence to retrieve my own stuffed animal. I panicked a little when I saw one of the purplish feet peeking out from underneath the branch. I took a deep breath and tugged the hippo's leg while shoving the branch off it with my other hand, which proved to be a mistake. 

_RIIIIP_

The toy was dislodged from underneath the branch but there was a tear right in the middle of it's stomach. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't minor either. I felt my breathing speed up and my face grow hot. Keep it together, Keith, I growled. You are  _not_ doing this now.

It was a worn out old toy, the only thing I had from my time at the home except for two other things: my jacket, and the knife that belonged to my dad that I managed to keep hidden. I had heard horror stories about what happened to kids that had weapons, and the only reason they didn't take the hippo from me was because I started throwing a tantrum when they tried. I kicked, punched, hit, bit, even. You name it. I carried on until they backed off. And the jacket? Well, if they let me keep that then they wouldn't have to spend any extra money on winter clothing.

I fisted the plush of the hippo angrily, remembering that. The people at the home were awful. The worst. They made sure the good kids found foster homes or were adopted, not kids like me. Troubled kids.

"What happened to it?" Lance said, studying the hippo. "I heard a rip and you looked really sad."

"It ripped. It's fine. I can get Takashi's mom to fix it later."

"Takashi's mom?" he asked, confused. "But isn't he your brother? Wouldn't she be your mom too?"

I didn't say anything. I was afraid if I did I might do something stupid like start crying. 

"And also, why is your last name different? His is Shirogane and yours is Kogane. Did you change your name?

"I'm adopted," I said shortly. "Takashi is my adoptive brother. My dad is dead and I never knew my mom."

"Oh," he said quietly. "I didn't- I didn't know."

"It's fine." I tried to crack a smile. "You would have found out eventually.

"You wanna know a secret?" he whispered, looking around like a spy in a movie.

"What?"

"My parents live in Cuba. Allura's my big cousin. Uncle Coran is her uncle, but I'm not really related to him like she is. Allura is my something cousin something removed. My parents wanted me to come here, and since Allura and Uncle Coran are citizens, they were able to bring me."

"Oh." Was all I could say.

"Yeah." And then, after a moment: "Can I see your hippo?"

I paused. Was I really going to give him my hippo? He looked so earnest though... I let out a puff of air and passed it over.

"It's not such a bad rip, " he proclaimed. "It looks easily fixable."

"That's good."

Allura and Takashi approached us at that moment. She was holding a first aid kit, looking smug. He was holding a bunch of sopping wet paper towels.

"Well, it took a while, but I found the first aid kit in the back of the trunk. I don't know how it got there, but we have it now!" she said, bending down next to Lance. Takashi was already pressing the paper towels against his knee, cleansing it of blood. When he pulled the paper towels away, we were able to clearly see the injury. There was a lot of blood for a split that was so small.

Allura bent down, her mouth pressed into a thin line. "How did this happen?"

"Well..." Lance coughed uncomfortably. "We were-"

"It was my fault!" I said quickly. Their eyes turned to me. My mouth felt dry but I continued. "We were talking about things that we could do, and I bet Lance that I could climb the tree faster than him. I forgot to tell him about the dead branch, and he grabbed it and it snapped and then he fell."

Takashi sighed. "Keith," he began, voice full of disappointment, but then he stopped. He seemed torn about what to say.

Finally, he said, "Let's go home and talk about this. Allura, I am so sorry about what happened, really, I am. Keith will be apologizing, I can promise you that, but they both seem pretty shaken by what just happened."

"Agreed," Allura nodded. "I'll get Lance cleaned up, and you can come back whenever. I know this was just an accident, and I'm not angry at either of you. But I hope you both make better choices in the future, because Keith seems like a nice boy and I know Lance is also a good kid, and you two could be really good friends."

"Well, see you," Shiro scratched the back of his neck and tugged me to my feet. 

"I hope we can finish that game of  _Monsters and Mana_ sometime... _Black Paladin_ ," she smiled at him and scooped up Lance, ignoring his protests.

"W-was she flirting?" he whispered to me anxiously as he hopped the fence. "Keith, _was she flirting_?"

"Geez, Takashi, I don't know. You're fifteen. I'm seven. You tell me."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Okay, about what happened with Lance-"

"It was my fault, Takashi, I said that already," I grunted, sliding my hands into my pockets. 

"You're apologizing," he said firmly, and I nodded. 

"Was planning on, anyway," I mumbled to myself. 

He looked surprised but continued. "And you're making it up to him. We have ice cream inside."

I nodded sullenly once more as he led me into the house. 

Takashi's mom looked at us with surprise. "Back so soon, boys?"

"Uh, yeah, Mom. We had a little bit of an incident. Keith and Lance were climbing the tree in the yard and Lance grabbed that dead branch and fell." Takashi informed her.

She sighed. "I've been telling your father to cut that branch away. What are the neighbors like?"

He thought for a moment. "Cool people. Odd, but cool. Allura and I were playing this role-playing game called  _Monsters and Mana_ and Lance and Keith were playing. Until Lance fell."

Her forehead creased."But surely Keith would have told Lance about the branch?"

"I... I forgot," I whispered. "I was mad. He was being rude and I told him I could climb the tree faster and then- and then-" I felt my lips twist and hot tears spill down my cheeks. Takashi's mom immediately dropped to her knees and held out her arms. I shook my head and stepped back. She nodded insistently, and I found myself barreling into her arms. I couldn't remember what the arms of a mother felt like. It felt safe.

"It's alright, Keith, I know you didn't mean it. And I know you really wanted to be friends with him. Maybe he was just as nervous meeting you, and that was why he came off as rude," she said soothingly.

"He- he said his family lived in Cuba and he came here alone with his cousin and uncle," I choked out.

"Maybe he's just insecure. Give him a chance. And please, don't challenge him to climbing anymore trees, alright Keithy?" I nodded, wiping my cheeks. Out of the corner of my blurred vision I saw Takashi scooping ice cream into two cones nonchalantly. 

Mrs Shirogane studied me for a moment, then asked slowly, "Keith... where's your hippo?"

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> inspired off a fanart! hope u like :3


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